Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that as many as 531 fishermen, stranded in the stormy waters off the Kerala and the Lakshadweep coasts due to Cyclone Ockhi, have been rescued. So far 393 people from Kerala and 138 fishermen from the Lakshadweep islands have been rescued, said the chief minister.

Earlier in the day, the Kerala state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm. Vijayan said the compensation would be in addition to the financial assistance of Rs four lakh being given by the fisheries department, according to a PTI report.

Assistance will also be provided to those who had lost their boat and equipment, CM Vijayan added.Assistance will also be provided to those who had lost their boat and equipment, CM Vijayan added.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the Cyclone has intensified from ‘severe’ category to a ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm and the system is very likely to intensify further during next 24 hours.

Over the past two days, at least 12 people have lost their lives while hundreds of others have been affected by the cyclonic storm that caused heavy rains to batter coastal areas of Kerala and south Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government, on the other hand, said it will soon seek central funds for the damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi with Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts being the worst hit districts of the state.